Current collector for trolley wires



June. 2, 1931.

F. BOARD CURRENT COLLECTOR FOR TROLLEY WIRES' Fi led Dec. 4, 1929 -20 .fl 97 -z1 I 10W I l aha I 5 21 g I I 4 J6 I O J I Am,

Lig 3 INVENTEIR ATTDRNEY Patented June 2, 1931 UNITED STATES FRED BOARD, OF BRIDGEPORT, OHIO IPA TENT CURRENT COLLECTORnEOR TROLLEY WIRES Application filed December 4, 1929.

tion may be made with trolley Wires or other ing off current forms of high tension electric wires for takfor use in operating electric motors or other devices or apparatus.

A further object of the invention is to vide a device of the character mentioned, designed especially for use on trolley wires, which makes electrical or current collecting contact with the under side of the wire, which side is at all times maintained in a polished, or noncorroded, condition by the frequent engagement therewith of the trolley wheels of passing electric cars.

A still further object is to provide a device of the character mentioned which, following application in operative relation to the trolley wire, is yieldingly maintained in such close contact with the polished under side oi the trolley wire that there is practically no possibility of the wire becoming pitted, or

burned, through the production of an are or.

arcs between the wire and the contact member of the device, as frequently occurs when the contact member of prior forms of takeoffs of this type seat upon, or imperfectly contact with, the corroded top surfaces of wires.

In describing the invention in detail, reference is herein had to the accompanying drawings, in which F igure'l is a side elevation of the invention applied to a trolley wire;

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the same;

Figure 3 is a front elevation; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section on line 44, Fig. 2.

Referring to said drawings, 1 designates the pole, which may have any appropriate length. Said pole carries upon its upper end a sleeve 2 which has spot welded thereon, as shown at 3, or otherwise suitably attached thereto the lower end portion of a plate 4. Said plate 4 is bifurcated above said sleeve, forming upright arms 5 having angularly disposed rearwardly directed parallel tenninals 5? which, in practice, are adapted to be pro- -.e.ts let and. 15,;respectively,

face of tllQiPlfltGitlr.

. Serial "No. 411,487.

placed in overlying seated relation to a trolley wire 6 for suspending the entire structure from said wire.

Designed to cooperate with the'twoiterminals 5 is a metal relation to the wire,'said.member being. of substantially U-shape in cross section. Said member 7 is carried in rigid relation to and is insulated from the upper end o'f-a vertically shiftable rod or bar8. As herein shown, a block 9. of fiber, or other suitable 'material which is a non-conductor of-electrio current, is interposed between said'ccn- 7 and the bar 8,'being rigidly rivet or bolt 10, and having. said member rigidly mounted I thereon, as bya rivet or bolt 11,- -.as-shown.

tact member mounted on said bar, as by a Saidbar, which is disposed vertically with 12 and 13;. provided therefor-in the horiz'ontallyjdisposed-members of angular'brack mountedin appropriate For maintaining saidrbarS normallyin an upwardly thrust position wherein it holds .the therebysupported contactmember 7 in firmly seated relationto-the under side :of' the p is provided. Said means, as herein shown for trolley wire 6, suitably resilient means illustrative purposes, "comprisesa pair of vertically disposed retractile coil springs '16- :whichhave their upper ends attached infixed relation to-saidplate 4,.as tothe opposite ends of the bracket '14 carriedby said plate. A crossbar 17 'lixedto said bar8 at a suitable point has the lower ends of said springs at= tached to the opposite ends thereof, as shown. The springs 16 normally exert a force which, whenthe device is applied to a trolley wire, acts to maintain the contact member 7 firmly seated against the under side of the wire. To i provlde for retraction of said contact member to the extent that the wire may be received between, or disengaged with relation to, the contact memberand the terminals 5, a lever 18 pivotally mounted on the pole l ferries contact member -7, prefer-a bly copper, adapted to seat in underlying its upper end portion located between thei whichiare suitably positionson the rear at a suitable point; and a suitable connection, as a cable 19, is introduced between said lever and the lower end of the bar 8. As is manifest, downwardly directed manual force applied to the outer end of the lever acts against the tension of the springs 16 to draw the bar downward and thus to retract the contact member from its normal position. So retracted, the device may readily be applied to or removed from the trolley wire. l

One terminal 20 of an electrical conductor or wire 21 is suitably attached to the Contact member 7 and the oppositeterm'inal 22 of said conductor is mounted upon abinding post which consists of a bolt 23 carried by and projecting from an insulatingplate 24 which is attached to the plate 4, as by means of bolts 25. A second current conductor 26 leads from said post 23 to the motor or other device which is to be actuated. It will be noted that, becauseiof the fact that the contact member 7 ismade of considerable length and that the terminals 5 overlie the trolley wire at a distance from the 5 opposite ends-of said contact member, a wide bearing is afiiorded, thus reducing to a mini- V mum the tendency of sa-id'bearing to rock 7 with respect to the trolley wire and, consequently,-practically eliminating all chance 30 of production of arcs which might otherwise result; I

hat is claimed is a A current collector of thefcharacter dev V scribed comprising a pole, an upright plate carriedain rigid-relation to said pole, upright arms carried bysaid plate, said arms having angular-1y disposed parallel terminals for occupying overlyingvseated relation toan elec- V tricwire, a vertically slidableibar having its 40 upper. end disposed between said arms,

brackets carried by said plate constituting guides for said bar, a contact member carried 1 I i by said bar, saidmember having a length materially exceeding the width of vsaid bar and p being adapted to seat upon a substantial length of the under side of thewire between said terminals, retractile coil springs hav- 1 ing their upper ends attached to one of'said guide brackets and their lower ends connected '50 to said bar whereby the latter isnormally.

held in elevated position presenting said member in underlying engagement with the wire, 7 and means for manually retracting said bar, said means including a lever pivoted on said pole and a connection between said lever and said bar. a p

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

' a FREDBOARD. 

